Annual High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast returns to Victorville

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
Updated ·3 min read

The 11th annual High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast is returning to the Victor Valley.

Hosted by Coldwell Banker Commercial on March 14 at the Victor Valley College Performing Arts Center, the event will include local leaders and industry experts discussing the economy of the High Desert and the region.

The event is billed as the region's only event to provide:

  • An in-depth review of the real estate and economic markets of the High Desert.

  • Historical analysis as well as trends affecting the market.

  • Key insights into infrastructure projects, transportation, population growth, and economic development.

The 11th Annual High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast will feature BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent, discussing the company’s Barstow International Gateway, state-of-the-art $1.5 Billion master planned integrated rail facility.
The 11th Annual High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast will feature BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent, discussing the company’s Barstow International Gateway, state-of-the-art $1.5 Billion master planned integrated rail facility.

Speakers

Keynote speakers at the symposium include economist and director of the UC Riverside School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development Dr. Christopher Thornberg, who will present the "Economic Review and Forecast."

Additionally, Dan Spiegel, the managing director of Coldwell Banker Commercial Worldwide, who leads the CBC network of over 2,000 commercial real estate professionals in North America and around the world.

This year’s Economic Development Panel will include a variety of discussions, including the construction of the Silverwood master-planned community in Hesperia and the BNSF’s Barstow International Gateway facility. Panel speakers include:

The 11th Annual High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast will feature BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent, discussing the company’s Barstow International Gateway, state-of-the-art $1.5 Billion master planned integrated rail facility.
The 11th Annual High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast will feature BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent, discussing the company’s Barstow International Gateway, state-of-the-art $1.5 Billion master planned integrated rail facility.

  • Lena Kent, BNSF executive director of public affairs, discussing the Barstow International Gateway, the state-of-the-art $1.5 Billion master-planned integrated rail facility.The facility will be an approximately 4,500-acre new integrated rail facility on the west side of Barstow, consisting of a rail yard, intermodal facility, and warehouses for transloading freight from international containers to domestic containers. It will allow the direct transfer of containers from ships at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to trains for transport through the Alameda Corridor onto the BNSF mainline up to Barstow.

  • John Ohanian, the general manager of the Silverwood Master Plan project currently being constructed in the Summit Valley area of Hesperia. The Silverwood project, formerly known as Tapestry, spans 9,366 acres for 15,633 dwelling units and 700,00 square feet of commercial space.

  • Randal Lewis, the executive vice president and a principal of Lewis Operating Corp., is a member of the Lewis Group of Companies. Lewis Group is one of the nation’s largest privately held real estate organizations focused on developing planned communities, multifamily projects, and shopping centers throughout California and Nevada.

  • Dana Whitmer, partner and chief development officer,responsible for all aspects of shepherding Covington’s projects through the development process. Before joining Covington, his career was centered around the development of industrial business parks in Southern California.

  • Robert Lovingood, Chairman ICR Staffing, retired 1st District Supervisor.

The 11th Annual High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast will feature John Ohanian, the general manager of the Silverwood Master Plan project currently being constructed in the Summit Valley area of Hesperia.
The 11th Annual High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast will feature John Ohanian, the general manager of the Silverwood Master Plan project currently being constructed in the Summit Valley area of Hesperia.

Mayor Panel

The Mayor Panel will include local elected officials discussing current development and business trends, as well as future development and growth in their respective municipalities.

The panelists will include:

  • Adelanto Mayor Gabriel Reyes

  • Apple Valley Mayor Scott Nassif

  • Barstow Mayor Dr. Paul Courtney

  • Victorville Mayor Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Becerra

  • Hesperia Mayor Pro Tem Rebekah Swanson

  • Terry Thompson, director real estate services department for San Bernardino County

Coldwell Banker team

CBC Real Estate Solutions President Jason Lamoreaux, CBC Industrial Expert Vice President Bob Basen, and CBC Vice President and Multi-Family Specialist Jerrad Schendel will present the State of the High Desert Commercial Update, Review & Forecast.

Coldwell Banker Home Source President Chris Lamoreaux will present the Housing Market Historical Review & Forecast.

The High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium & Forecast is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 14 at VVC, located at 18422 Bear Valley Road in Victorville.

To register and for more information, visit HDSymposium.com.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: High Desert Economic and Real Estate Symposium returns to Victorville